Dig Deeper into Dentistry!
- Nela Friesen
- Dec 12, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Dec 13, 2024
Table of Contents
About Dr. Tyler Johnson and the Taber Dental Clinic
Dr. Tyler Johnson is a dentist at the Taber Dental Clinic. The business opened in 2003 and continues to serve Taber and the surrounding area, providing many services for their patients. They provide various services including general and preventative care, orthodontics, whitening, and so much more. Dr. Johnson and his team came to W.R Myers High School to give a presentation on their careers in the dental field and I've used what I learned to write this post.
What is being a dentist like?
An Average Day on the Job
Every day as a dentist is different and it can also depend on whether or not you specialize in a specific area of dentistry. For Dr. Johnson, he generally sees 15 to 30 patients a day. He spends his day doing a variety of things for patients like diagnosing problems, doing fillings, crowns, oral surgeries, going over treatment plans, etc. He works together with his team to help his clients.
Pay
Being a dentist is a very good-paying job and it can allow you to live a comfortable life (but this should not be your only reason for choosing to become a dentist because it won't be worth it if you don't enjoy the work).
Work Conditions
Being a dentist is a very collaborative job. As a dentist, you will need to work with other team members such as dental assistants and dental hygienists to help the patients.
It can be stressful to be a dentist. You will need to overcome patient challenges like dental anxieties, and language barriers, it may be difficult to satisfy their demands, etc. This is one of the hardest parts of being a dentist but it can be overcome.
Qualities Needed
To be a dentist, you will need to be a good problem solver because you are faced with unique situations every day. It is also a collaborative job so you will need to be good at working in a team as well. Along with these two qualities, you also need to be good with your hands because you will be required to do precise work as a dentist.
Challenges
As mentioned before, there can be patient challenges that may to hard to resolve such as dental anxieties, difficult personalities, etc. Another challenge in becoming a dentist is the financial aspect of it, as it can be very expensive and you may face high levels of student debt. Canadian dental programs are often cheaper than other options but it could still cost $40k to $70k per year of schooling required.
Advantages
The dental industry is very vast and flexible. After becoming a dentist, you can do many things as a general dentist. You can also specialize in a specific dental field such as endodontics, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, forensics, oral medicine, and pathology, etc.
It is also common for dentists to start their own practices. While owning your own business can certainly be a challenge, it can also be an advantage for those interested in entrepreneurship.
The Taber Dental Clinic supports the TANGO Foundation and has gone on trips to provide dental services in other areas of the world. In this way, they can use their skills from their career to provide good service to those who need it. You can find information and pictures detailing their trips on their website.
Post-Secondary
To get a degree in Dentistry, you need to complete 4 years of schooling. In the first 2 years, you will learn general medical knowledge about infections, the nervous and cardiovascular systems, etc. In years 3 and 4, you will learn about dentistry. The only program to study to become a dentist in Alberta is at the University of Alberta. Because of this, it is a competitive program so you will need good grades to be accepted. This is one of the difficult aspects of becoming a dentist.
Before you are accepted, you will also need to take the DAT (Dental Aptitude Test). This test determines which applicants would be a good fit to become dentists. There are three parts to this test. The first is a written knowledge test, similar to the ones written in school. The second part tests spatial ability (imagining and manipulating 3D objects in your mind). The third part tests your manual dexterity, or how good you are at working with your hands. You will need to create a carving to match the specific measurements you are given. These three elements of the DAT are all designed to test your aptitude for dentistry.
Along with the DAT test, there are also a few more requirements that need to be met. To get accepted, you also need to meet the prerequisite requirements outlined on the University of Alberta's website. The prerequisites for dentistry include sciences like chemistry and biology so it would be a good idea to take these in high school. However, you won't be accepted into a dental program straight out of high school. Students will have to complete two years in an undergrad program to meet the admission requirements for the dental program. This will often be a Bachelor of Science but you can choose any faculty you are interested in. According to the cost calculator on the University of Alberta's website, the Bachelor of Science program costs around $10,000 per year, while a year in the dental program would be around $40,000 per year with tuition, supplies, and other fees. It is common for students to have student loans to pay off after graduating. However, being a dentist is a well-paying career so with good financial management, it can be paid off fairly quickly.
It is also very common for dentists to open and run their own practice. If this is something you would be interested in, it would also be a good idea to take some business courses at university to help with this aspect of dentistry.
What can students do in high school to prepare?
A good way to experience dentistry and see if it's something you would be interested in is to do a job shadow with a dentist. You can watch the dentist do their job on a regular day. This allows you to see the daily tasks they have to complete and what a job in that industry looks like. This can be a great experience and a good way to evaluate possible careers.
There aren't usually courses directly related to dentistry in high school, but making sure you are taking the right classes to meet program prerequisites will make you more prepared for university.
Dental Hygienist
Dental hygienists clean teeth and work towards good dental health for their patients. For post-secondary, you can a degree from a university or take a shorter diploma course at a college. However, it usually won't affect your chances of employment. There are also accelerated programs for dental hygienists that have fewer prerequisites, take less time to complete, and can be less competitive so it may be easier to get into these programs. As a dental hygienist, you can work in public or private dentistry. You can also open your own practice as a dental hygienist.
Dental Assistant
A dental assistant works to assist the dentist in all procedures. The programs to become a dental assistant are usually one year in length and then you can do some work practicums to gain experience. Some options for schooling would be NAIT and SAIT in Alberta. There are in-person options and also online options, or a combination of both.
Thanks for reading this post and special thanks to Dr. Johnson and his team for coming to W.R Myers to give a presentation on their careers. Hopefully, you learned a lot and always feel free to share any feedback with me. See you next week!
Check Out Taber Dental Clinic!
Website: https://taberdentalclinic.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taberdental/
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